Margaret Larned

June 20, 2012

Margaret Larned, 81, of Matlacha, formerly of Wenham, Mass., died Tuesday, June 12, 2012, surrounded by her family after a courageous battle with cancer.

She was born May 1, 1931 to William and Theresa Carey, now deceased, in Montpelier, Vt. Marge married Robert Morse Larned in 1950, and moved to Salem, Mass., where she was a medical technician at Salem Hospital. They settled in Wenham, Mass., where they raised their large family. They were active members of St. Paul's Catholic Church in Hamilton and then the LaSalette Faith Community in Topsfield, Mass. They were leaders in the Christian Family Movement and the Cursillo Movement. After her husband was invited to march with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. from Selma to Montgomery, Ala., they supported inner-city students involved with the METCO Bus Boycott to live with their family. They then volunteered with St. Anne's Episcopal Church in Dorchester with the Rev. John Bullard and Mae Allen Gadpaille. They also welcomed exchange students from Ghana, Italy, Mexico and Uruguay.

An ardent reader and conversationalist, she loved current affairs and The Boston Globe. She was a life-long Democrat and member of the League of Women Voters. A devoted Red Sox fan, she learned the game from her own father and loved watching her sons play (and football) with Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School. She lived a rich life and loved traveling - sailing to Maine and the Caribbean and trips to Ireland, Italy, California, Arizona, Florida and Puerto Rico. Most of all she loved being by the ocean and in New England for the spring, picking forsythia and pussy willows along Wenham Lake.

She received her associates degree in science at Mt. St. Mary's College, Hooksett, N.H. After her husband's passing in 1971, she reinvented herself to continue raising her family in Wenham. She received her bachelors of early education cum laude at Salem State University and her masters in Early Childhood Education at Cambridge Community College. Following her Montessori Training, she opened the Children's Workshop in Wenham, Mass., and then at the Winfield Children's House in Portland, Maine. She taught Pee Wee Science at the Boston Museum of Science.

She was very active in the community: as a Girl Scout leader, a school tutor, Great Books discussion leader, and Parents Advisory Committee of the Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School. For the last 15 years, she assisted elderly people in their homes in Peaks Island, Maine; Rocklin, Maine; Prescott Isle, Maine; Wellesley, Mass.; Aquinnah, Mass.; Beverly, Mass.; Danvers, Mass.; and Wenham, Mass. A kind and beloved friend to many, she will be missed.

She was predeceased by a daughter, Diane in 1955; two sons, David in 1960 and Christopher in 1984.

Family message:

Her life goes on in endless song, beyond earth lamentations.

As long as love is Lord of Heaven and Earth, how can I keep from singing?

Memorial services will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 30, at the LaSalette Faith Community, 207 Boston St., Topsfield, Mass., in the 4-H building, with Father Joe Bauchard officiating. Burial will be at Wenham Cemetery.